Slowly I turned. Step by step. Inch by inch. Epic Release Party Niagara Falls Saturday February 27th 2016. Martin Luther King Day. Schipperkes.
Roger CortonIt is so on, baby. Niagara Falls. Saturday. February 27th. 2016. 8pm. I am there.
JCHPlus about a hundred and twenty of my closest friends so far. I’m pretty excited too.
RCAny nerves?
JCHNerves? Sure. You’re talking to a guy who’s already been stopped at zee border plenty of times, señor. But aside from that not really. So long as I get to practicing, like yesterday.
RCOK, so any news?
JCHWell, if you signed up, you’ve got yer details. If you haven’t? There are prox. thirty seats remaining. The show part will be an hour of the old school solo format, followed by a break and then thirty minutes with Sasha, Nick and Timo.
RCAKA the full band.
JCHAKA the full band doing some of the best bits from the new album Epic.
RCAvailable in just a few days.
JCHJanuary 25th to be precise. It’s already scheduled to ship from the manufacturer into the warehouse so all orders will be fulfilled on time! For once (laughs).
RCAnd again for newbs, this revives an annual tradition started way back in 2003 that stalled out a few years back. It’s not really a show so much as a real party to get together the few, the proud. Fans of JCHMUsic. In addition to the usual routine; signed CDs, t-shirts, etc. There is always a lot of drinking (I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that) and a lot of Q and A. People always have questions about the music and this is a chance to get some answers!
JCHOh, I have answers, all right. That’s one thing I always have plenty of, yessiree bob.
RCWhy don’t you give newbs a quick review of how this all got started.
JCHIn hundred words or so, I was an endorser for some music gear which shall go nameless. And I chatted on-line with various other people in the company for ages and we all got curious to actually meet up. So for some reason, I think it was because one of the guys actually lived right near Niagara and the others were going to be in the general area of New York and Ontario one given weekend, we all got together and had a great time. Fast forward a few years and we had a reunion, but this time, I booked a room at a place with a small stage near the falls with seats for maybe twenty five people and put a note up on the old mailing list; expecting no one to show up but us. Well, it turns out that a lot of people showed up! So the party instantly morphed from an endorser reunion to an ad hoc concert. Who knew? But since there wasn’t really a proper setup, it was basically just me and my guitar and talking to fans. But we all liked it so much we kept doing it in a more organized fashion every year thereafter; typically to have album release parties and so on. That’s why most of my earlier records were released in the dead of winter.
RCOK. So if people are interested in the remaining spots, just go to the Come To My Town page, leave yer details and we’ll get you tickets.
JCHOne other thing. Niagara Falls always gets chuckles from people. I guess it’s associated with too many jokes but everyone who comes is impressed by the thing. It truly is one of the ‘Seven Wonders Of The World!’
RCThat’s no lie. It does sound corny, but if you haven’t been there, the place is ‘Epic’. So in a way, it’s the perfect place to hold a release party for one of your albums. Everyone thinks it’s a joke. Until they see it and then they go… Woah! Now. You should mention proceeds.
JCHWow. Was there a Joan Collins-style dig in there? (laughs) Anyhoo, proceeds? Haaah! We should be so lucky. But any shekels left over from costs, and that assumes we won’t actually lose money on this little free-for-all, will go to Schipperke Dog Rescue here in Puget Sound.
RCIn memoriam for your trusty sidekick, Gus.
JCHYep. And Ruaraigh and Margaret and Chip. Over the past fifteen years I’ve had the distinct honor and privilege to save about thirty of these abandoned mutts, including Gus. I know there are lot of other charities that seem way more ‘important’ but frankly I can’t imagine how this so-called career would’ve played out without my trusty sidekick. So this is just a small token of respect for the joy he (and they all) brought to me.
RCWhat a softie! Speaking of paying respects, we can’t leave today without mentioning our common hero Martin Luther King.
JCHAll jokes aside, yeah I have two comments: first that I used to worry that the guy was being forgotten. Now I’m starting to worry that he’s being co-opted by people who have no relation to what he stood for. And they get away with it because most of us have forgotten about him. I don’t mean just people on the right who paper over civil rights problems, I mean people on the left as well who wouldn’t understand really organised protest if it slapped them in the face. We can’t seem to get anywhere on race or poverty because even the good guys are so fucking DISORGANIZED. And second, I’ve kinda run out of great things to say about the guy. It’s like talking about Lincoln or Moses, ya know? I mean, go out and get a copy of his writings. It’s all there. It speaks for itself. His work is so digestible. If you need commentary? You’re not really trying. That was his greatness. He just broke it down for people. All people.
